AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King
Teams aren’t supposed to blow 26-point leads in the playoffs.
At least not when they are playing at home and especially not when the other team’s star player plays far worse than he typically does.
But that is exactly what the Minnesota Timberwolves did in Thursday’s 104-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. That they blew such a massive advantage while Ja Morant shot 5-of-18 from the field and 5-of-10 from the free-throw line with seven turnovers made it that much more of a stunner.
If Morant was bad, Karl-Anthony Towns was worse. He attempted a mere four field goals to go with his five personal fouls and four turnovers in a performance that drew plenty of criticism.
D’Angelo Russell (22 points, eight assists and five rebounds) played well after struggling in the first two games, which means even an average showing from Towns likely would have resulted in a Minnesota victory.
Instead, the Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves 37-12 in the fourth quarter alone with Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke providing enough support to help make up for Morant’s shooting struggles. The star point guard still did his part, though, with a triple-double.
Frankly, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Timberwolves struggle to bounce back by Game 4 on Saturday.
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